Chapter 10 Part2 (1/2)
Halfway mark (excluding epilogues)!
The t.i.tle of the chapter should tell you something. I think Jia He's performance is pretty darn good, too. How would she know about the soundproofing? LOL.
Chapter 10.2 — The Ex and the Ex (2)
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By chance, they were coming up to a red traffic light. Yi Wenze brought the car to a steady stop and then, tilting his head to the side, looked at her in silence for a while. ” 'The year that Jia He was fifteen years old, I saw her. So, you are the one who is too late.' ”
This sentence should be too easy to understand. Every word was spoken clearly, but when they were all linked up together, she did not understand them.
The year she was fifteen years old, she was still in her first year in Beijing No. 4 High School, day and night taking supplementary and remedial cla.s.ses, and did not even really know anyone from other schools. And plus, she had never once left Beijing before that, so of course it was not possible that she had previously been to Hong Kong either. How, then, could she possibly have seen him?
Could it be…? Jia He looked at him.
It was a line from some sort of film? Touching and sentimental enough, suitable for a seckill.
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A phone call happened to come in at this time. Jia He could only stare at the traffic light as it changed from red to green, tugging at his sleeve to signal that he could keep driving. With one hand on the steering wheel, Yi Wenze put on his headset and began speaking. Based on the content of the conversation, it should be Wu Zhilun, who, from the sound of things, was driving now and chasing after them. In the s.p.a.ce of a few words, the name ”Tian Chu” also popped up.
Those two words quietly slipped into her ear. She truly did not want to listen in, but Yi Wenze actually was not trying at all to keep anything from her.
Once he hung up, she immediately put on a look of great interest and continued with the question from earlier. ”Why did you say that?”
”Suddenly thought of it.” Yi Wenze appeared as if he had no intentions of explaining anything and instead very nonchalantly changed the subject. ”It has already been confirmed that Tian Chu will sing the theme song for that film of mine. You may see her on this trip to Tianjin.”
Jia He had not expected that he would switch the topic over to this, and she paused in surprise for a moment before answering with a smile, ”She's currently really hot. The two of you can be considered a collaboration of two strong forces. From a promotional perspective, there should be some pretty good results.”
Way more than just ”pretty good.” Two people who had just divorced were collaborating again—a tidal wave of news stories was once more going to be sweeping in.
Thinking about the fact that she would be seeing Tian Chu suddenly made her a little uncomfortable.
The incident from two, three months ago in Hengdian was still fresh in her mind. At the time, she had emphatically declared that there was absolutely nothing between her and him. But now… While she was not scared of Tian Chu, there was an inexplicable feeling in her, like she had lied. She could roughly guess what Tian Chu had been thinking at the time: She still had feelings and could not let go of them? She wanted to restore the love they once had and continue where they left off?
She stole a peek at Yi Wenze. Should she ask or not? If she asked, to what extent would it be appropriate?
Yi Wenze started again taking phone call after phone call and hence did not even give her an opportunity to ask. It was only after they had driven onto the expressway that he finally was free to talk. ”We're on the expressway now. Buckle your seat belt.”
”Oh, okay,” Jia He answered, reaching behind her and pulling on the seat belt.
As it fastened with a click, he spoke again. ”Tian Chu is someone who has too strong a sense of pride. If she says anything to you, you don't really need to pay too much attention to it.”
Jia He nodded, but realizing that he was driving and should not be able to see her, she hastily also added an ”mm-hmm.”
”She and I signed the papers one year ago to divorce. That whole matter has nothing to do with anyone and was simply because of the friction in our relations.h.i.+p.” His words were succinct. ”If you see anything written in the news, just treat it like you're reading a story. There's no need to take it too seriously.”
Yi Wenze was too forthright, to the point that she actually felt a little sheepish. ”I understand. That's all in the past. I won't be so petty as to fuss over it.” She paused, then tentatively probed, ”I sense… that she seems to want to get back together.”
Once she said this, she felt even her teeth ache with the bitterness of jealousy.
Between boyfriend and girlfriend, it didn't cross the line to ask this, right? She observed Yi Wenze apprehensively. Seeing that he did not appear to show any expression of being turned off, her mind was somewhat set at ease. Yi Wenze seemed to be contemplating how he should express what he wanted to say, and after a while he finally replied, ”She mentioned it in Hengdian.”
Their car's driving speed would not be considered fast; there continually were vehicles flying past them. For a moment, both of them were rather quiet.
When they stopped to refuel, he at last, before getting out of the car, supplemented with another sentence. ”She should know that I presently have a girlfriend.”
Jia He gave an ”oh.” Although she still had many more questions and things puzzling her, she still held them back. If she continued asking, it truly would seem as if she was grilling him. In reality, all this time he had done everything so well already. Their relations.h.i.+p was still in its infancy; she must not make herself seem too petty.
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Traffic was quite good today. It took only a little more than an hour for the two of them to arrive in Tianjin.
As they entered Tianjin's urban core, she finally started feeling hungry. Looking out at the various restaurants and fast-food eateries whizzing by from time to time on either side of the road, she instinctively wanted to suggest that they find a place to have dinner. However, when the words were at her lips, she remembered that he could not just so casually show his face in public, and so she could only console herself that there would have to be sacrifices in order to be with her idol, for example, right now.
Hungry. So hungry her stomach was cramping. She secretly ma.s.saged it, silently praying that they would get to the hotel soon.
”Hungry?”
She quickly pulled her hand away. ”I'm okay.”
”We'll be there really soon.” He stretched a hand over and gave Jia He's head a little rub, telling her with a smile, ”Hold out for just a bit longer.”
Yi Wenze's words were on the mark, for, sure enough, within five minutes they were in a tall building. When the two were in the underground parking garage waiting for the elevator, there were five or six other young people beside them, also waiting. The instant they saw Yi Wenze, they began whispering amongst themselves, and a few braver ones even pulled out their mobile phones, intending on snapping a few photos. He merely smiled, telling them it was okay to take photographs with him but they could not secretly snap any pictures.
Jia He hurriedly put on a guise of not knowing him and stood in a corner off to the side, watching as he took photographs with those people. After they stepped into the elevator, she still deliberately chose to stand in the furthermost spot from him. Fortunately, they were going up to a high floor, and before long the last person had exited the elevator. When the doors slid closed, she suddenly felt her hand being enveloped into another one—one that was very warm and full of strength.
She turned her head. Yi Wenze, looking down and smiling at her, asked in a slightly apologetic tone, ”Is it awkward having a boyfriend like me?”
Jia He intentionally pondered for a brief moment, then suddenly broke into a grin. ”Is it inconvenient having a girlfriend like me?”
His smile was resigned. ”Indeed.”
”Huh?” Jia He looked at him, downcast.
Leaning in close to her ear, he said, ”I always need to think about what I need to do in order to give you a.s.surance.”
The warmth by her ear stirred a slight restlessness in her heart. All of a sudden, there was a light ding, and then the elevator doors were already sliding open.
Hastily yanking her hand back, she motioned to him to go first.
After they stepped into the restaurant, the hostess, spotting Yi Wenze, at once very keenly led the way. ”Mr. Yi, this way, please.” When they arrived at the door of the private dining room and he was about to extend his arm to push it open, Jia He unexpectedly tugged on his sleeve cuff.
Bemused, he turned to her.
Her expression was solemn as she gazed at him. ”Every person who is just beginning a relations.h.i.+p will worry, worry about whether what she has is real and worry that she will lose it. It'll slowly get better. You don't need be too concerned about it.” She halted for a moment before stating the central thought of what she really wanted to express. ”No matter what, you have my total trust.”